Self-serving plans

Today, we are harvesting the fruit of urban sprawl resulting from forgone impact fees to developers and business payoffs.

We are forever duped by candidates and politicians promising jobs from freebies to this-and-that corporation. It's the perpetual lie that it adds to the tax base keeping taxes lower?

What it adds is campaign contributions for these snakes - and budget deficits in later years as the growth didn't pay its share of infrastructure costs, such as water, sewer and highways.

This is crony capitalism, fellow citizens. Need I list the fees added to our utility bills, higher gasoline taxes, and monstrosity assessments built up from years of these practices?

These huge companies' profitability explodes while middle-class America's equity is being wrenched from our hands.

This is what really happened to Detroit. Big business is mobile (off to the next welcome wagon) - communities and cities are not. Politicians are, too. They go to Washington, or Belize.

Michael Bartley,

Fort Myers Beach

Disgusting calls

I continue to be appalled by The News-Press' endorsement of political candidates. You have a responsibility to the public to report unbiased facts; nothing more. The snapshot articles that you provide about candidates are as far as you should go.

But then you print page length columns about your favorites and the positions they support, which of course are your positions. This is irresponsible and, in most cases, partisan politics at its worst.

Many citizens are looking for that one clue that will enable them to make an informed choice at the polls. By providing these endorsements, you are trying to influence the outcome of elections at all levels. For that, you disgust me.

Joe Williams, Cape Coral

Tell whole story

It is sad when a veteran passes and his/her relatives publish an obituary without saying what he or she did.

I am proud of my service, and believe me; more is going to be said about my World War II service other than "He served in the Navy."

I read the obituaries daily and sometimes find a friend among those listed. Please, family, tell what they did, not just, that "they served."

Edward (Huggy) Ellyatt,

Fort Myers Beach

Sinister reminders

I feel that I need to respond to Betty Parker's article "Ballot surge probed," Aug. 31. I thought that the days of scallywags and carpetbaggers attempting to steal our elections were a thing of the Reconstruction era.

Hopefully, the state attorney takes a serious look at this as there is obviously some form of shenanigans taking place. The use of absentee balloting in the election process is a proven technique for success; however, the large percentage of requests from out of the area is symptomatic of something sinister at play.

Until recent redistricting, I was a resident of Ward 3 in Fort Myers and represented by Councilman Levon Simms. He was a regular at our Neighborhood Watch meetings and is accessible and responsive to all citizens of Fort Myers. It would be a shame to lose the services of this true public servant to some underhanded political stunt.

Ken Buschle, Fort Myers

More taxes looming

Take a look at Lee County property taxes. I just received my tax estimate (prior to public hearings), and it appears that my taxes will be increasing, even though my assessed property value is decreasing. Although the form is difficult to read and understand, the county levy and particularly the library levy appear to be driving the increase.

Wayne Godsey, Bonita Springs

Nonpartisan dream

I have a dream that people may know the truth. The tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. was wonderful. But, it was a Democrat event.

I hate to burst the bubbles of the Obama folks, but Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Republican; yes, a Republican. So, would he have liked the event for him? I think not. Because the people running it still want to control rather than to empower the black race.

There are a high percentage of white folks who are working against the black leadership who want to control the people who Martin Luther King Jr. fought so hard for. We still need to have the pure dream.

Judy O'Donnell, Fort Myers

Love my library

I have such sweet childhood memories of accompanying my two brothers with our dear mother to the Public Library in Ithaca, N.Y., on Saturday mornings. A quiet, respectful, almost sanctuary-like experience. Please, county commissioners, fully fund Lee County libraries for this generation of children.